TITO READING STATEMENT; PEOPLE LISTENING.




Initials JP/JRT/YUGOSLAVIA-EURO/TELE/BHH/OS



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Background: PRESIDENT TITO OF YUGOSLAVIA MADE A PUBLIC STATEMENT YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY) ON THE SOVIET UNION'S INVASION OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA, SAYING THAT CZECHOSLOVAKIA'S SOVEREIGNTY HAD BEEN VIOLATED AND TRODDEN UPON. PRESIDENT TITO SAID ON TELEVISION IN BELGRADE THAT THE SOVEREIGNTY OF A SOCIALIST COUNTRY HAD BEEN VIOLATED AND THAT THE SOCIALISTS AND PROGRESSIVE FORCES IN THE WORLD HAD BEEN GIVEN A HARD BLOW.

THE YUGOSLAV LEADER SAID THAT THE JOINT DECISIONS TAKEN AT THE RECENT BRATISLAVA MEETING BETWEEN CZECHOSLOVAKIA, RUSSIA AND FOUR OTHER COMMUNIST COUNTRIES HAD BEEN ANNULLED UNILATERALLY. THE PRESIDENT SAID THAT AFTER HIS RECENT VISIT TO PRAGUE HE HAD BEEN CONVINCED THAT ANY ATTEMPT BY ANTI-SOCIALIST ELEMENTS TO HINDER DEVELOPMENT OF DEMOCRACY AND SOCIALIST DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE PREVENTED.